54-year-old woman gagged and attacked with knife by 2 men

A 54-year-old woman working as a registrar in the district civil court was gagged and assaulted with a knife by two youths at her residence in Gananjay Society in Kothrud yesterday morning. The incident took place at 9 am when the victim, Madhura Mohan Kavathekar, was on her own at home.

The police said the attackers were acquainted with the victim and had come to her residence with the intention of robbery, but fled when a neighbour saw them and started shouting for help.

Officials of the Kothrud police station said the attackers were the nephews of one Gorakh, who looks after the farms of Kavathekar in Pirangut. They said Gorakh had been detained.

Invaded: The Kavthekars’ bungalow, where the incident took place yesterday morning

“We have identified both the assailants and their maternal uncle, Gorakh, who works as the caretaker of Kavathekar’s land in Pirangut, has been detained for questioning,” Police Inspector (Crime) S B Navale of the Kothrud police station said. “Both assailants will be nabbed soon.”

The police said the two sought entry into the victim’s bungalow under the pretext of wanting to make enquiries about their job prospects.

Kavathekar received minor injuries on a leg, both her hands and her face. She received treatment at a nearby hospital and was discharged after primary medication. Kavathekar’s husband Mohan, who works in a private firm, said the two accused came to the bungalow after he had left for work.

“I and my wife are the only two people living in our bungalow as our son works outside the city,” he said. “On Thursday morning at 8.30, I left for office. Around 9 am, two youths came to our bungalow and rang the bell. My wife usually does not entertain strangers at the door, but these two youths were known to her because they are the nephews of our Pirangut land caretaker, Gorakh.”

Mohan said the two had visited his home the previous day as well. “The youths had come on Wednesday also as they wanted a job in court, and my wife had told them that she would see if she could do anything,” he said. “They again came on Thursday morning with the malicious intention of robbery.” Mohan said his wife opened the door as they were leaving because they claimed they had brought farm vegetables for her.

“My wife was speaking to them from inside the safety door,” he said. “Madhura again told them that she would let them know about the jobs. As they were leaving, they told her they had brought some fresh vegetables from the village for her and asked her to open the door. The moment she opened the door, both youths overpowered and gagged her and tried to snatch her gold chain.”

Mohan said the two tried to strangle his wife, but when she resisted they attacked her with a vegetable knife. “They attacked her with the knife on her leg, thigh, hands and face, but fortunately a woman from a neighbouring house saw this happening and started shouting,” he said. “Hearing the shouts, both youths fled.”

He said the neighbours rushed his wife to hospital as she was bleeding and subsequently called him.